Areté Education designs interactive afterschool and summer programs to teach students in the South Bronx about leadership skills, wellness, diverse career paths, and arts & culture.
During the pandemic, children living in temporary housing had limited access to education when schools moved to remote learning. With RTWCF’s support, Areté Education created the Areté Hope Network Program to provide direct assistance to families struggling during the pandemic. Eighteen students and families with unstable housing received stipends, groceries, hotspots, laptops, and mentoring to improve children’s attendance rates and academic performance.
Students’ engagement and attendance improved dramatically: all students in warning groups labeled “chronically absent” or “severely chronically absent” moved out of those warning groups during the intervention. Ninety-three percent of participants had attendance rates of 80% or higher including 50% with perfect attendance through the course of the program.